Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand and William H. Macy lead the latest installment, depicting a future where humankind’s hubris has led to its downfall, making apes the dominant species.

Putting aside the disposable 2001 Tim Burton remake that got the 21st century Planet of the Apes franchise off to an unpromising start, the trilogy that followed found remarkable durability in material that dates back six decades to French author Pierre Boulle’s 1963 sci-fi novel. Mixing action thrills and visual spectacle with a surprisingly thoughtful challenge to the belief that humanity is the exclusive domain of man, the films are among the increasingly rare summer blockbusters to combine brawn and brains.

At a moment in modern history when autocratic rule is on the rise across the globe, Josh Friedman’s smart screenplay takes its cue from its recent predecessors in reflecting the politics of its time. But the movie works equally well as pure popcorn entertainment, packing its two-and-a-half-hour running time with nail-biting thrills but also allowing sufficient breathing space to build depth in the characters and story.

While extensive CG elements seamlessly enhance the landscapes of New South Wales, Australia, standing in for America’s West Coast, the movie avoids the flat artificiality of so much recent “live-action” fare that looks more like animation. It’s not 100 percent photorealistic but it’s a close enough approximation to give the film visceral physicality and visual grandeur. Nature’s reclamation of man-made structures — dilapidated skyscrapers, planes, ships and industrial sites covered in vines and foliage — yields some striking imagery.

A brief prologue shows a solemn funeral ceremony for Caesar, the beloved ape leader played so memorably by Serkis. Onscreen text informs us that hubris led to the downfall of the human race, while a virus robbed them of their intellect and ability to speak, causing them to retreat into the shadows. The apes, by contrast, grew more intelligent, becoming the planet’s dominant species. The action begins “many generations later.”

The pulse-pounding opening introduces an inseparable trio of best friends on the cusp of adulthood: Noa (Teague), Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery), as they scale mountainous stretches of forest looking for eagle eggs. Attempting the most daring climb, Noa narrowly escapes a fatal fall. Their rule is that they always leave one egg behind in the nest, establishing early on that moral codes are “written” into their upbringing as law.

But Noa soon discovers a threat to the community’s peaceful existence. First, he sees a young human female (Freya Allan, terrific) stealing food (love the clan’s fish smokehouse). Then while out on a solo foray beyond Eagle Clan boundaries, he finds a group of slaughtered apes and witnesses further bloodshed carried out by ape warriors on horseback wearing face armor.

It emerges that the killers are the troops of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a bellowing bonobo despot who twists the ideals of his namesake to serve his quest for absolute power. When an attack on the Eagle Clan village leaves Noa separated from his community, he sets out on a classic hero’s journey across unknown territory to find the abducted apes, dodging Proximus Caesar’s goons in close calls along the way. Noa’s growing understanding of himself, his insecurities and his courage, adds emotional heft to his trajectory.

He acquires a companion in wise old orangutan Raka (Peter Macon), a devout follower of the original Caesar’s teachings, who convinces him to let the human who has been trailing them tag along. Her name is eventually revealed to be Mae, and despite her initial appearance as a feral waif (think Newt in Aliens), she turns out to be an intelligent and resourceful young woman.